Prayer. . . .in the form of Song

Wish it could be easy

Why is life so messy
Why is pain a part of us
There are days I feel like
Nothing ever goes right
Sometimes it just hurts so much

But You're here
You're real
I know I can trust You

Even when it hurts
Even when it's hard
Even when it all just falls apart
I will run to You
Cause I know that You are

Lover of my soul
Healer of my scars
You steady my heart (x2)

I'm not gonna worry
I know that You got me
Right inside the palm of your hand
Each and every moment
What's good and what gets broken
Happens just the way that You plan

And I will run to You
You're my refuge in Your arms
And I will sing to You
Cause of everything You are

You steady my heart (x2) 

Paper & a Deck of Cards

I saw this wonderful idea for a Valentines day gift on Pinterest called "52 reason why I love you". Using a deck of cards you put one reason on each card. But it was just words. I am such a visual person that words alone were WAY to boring for me. So beginning in January I started gathering ideas of what I wanted to use to help illustrate each of the 52 reasons why I loved GT. But as usual, time FLEW by and other projects took priority. ie. . .100 days of school, Valentine boxes for kids, Sonja coming for my birthday, MY Birthday....you get the picture. 

So ON VALENTINES day morning I got up and brushed my teeth went downstairs and got coffee, and started what I thought would take me 3 or 4 hrs to assemble. 

Kids got home from school and I was only on #25

GT came home from work around 8:30 and I still had 4 more to finish. . .

13 hrs later I was finally done.

I gave it to GT unwrapped and with out much explanation, except that I was still in my PJs because I was thinking of him ALL DAY long while making his gift! 

As he started going through each card and tears were rolling down his face, I knew he did not really care that nothing else had been done that day.  And I no longer feel guilty that I was a mess. 

Here is the finished project. And if your counting. . .there are several I left out. Some were just inside jokes that would not have made sense, and some that were just personal.

My $15 settee

I bought this cute little settee and a yard sale last October. The previous owners were using it as a dog bed. So after I did my best to clean it up, it was time for new life! 

(some of these photos were taken with my phone so the color is off a bit)

I used chalk paint for the wood, and painters canvas from Lowes for the fabric.

Ready....here we go

Repurposed, re-Loved!

I am inspired by many things.
But I have a special fondness for books. Old books, new books. . ALL kinds of books. I love turning a page and not knowing whether I will laugh, cry, be encouraged or convicted.
This was a gift I made for someone dear to me. I have made altered book projects before, but never one like this. I wanted it to be a more than just words in a book.
I wanted it to be a visual feast!
 I started with some of my favorite inspirations and my favorite quote and took the cover off an old book.
Next I fashioned 4 pages from cardboard

 

 The first page is Do Brave Things. As with most of my paper projects, I have a basic idea or feeling for the layout. But as I start playing with the paper and bits of ephemera, it takes on a life of its own

Dare to Dream

And something I need to be reminded of often. . . You are Loved

And the last page, Follow your Heart.

I hope you are inspired to find something old and make it new again!